Tuesday, December 9, 2014

The Place He Was Found

He entered this world in the lowliest of places. There were no sounds of trumpets or the rolling out of the red carpet. He was not greeted by Royal Priests or clothed in a luxurious robe.

He did not demand attention or come to meet the pleasures of man. He came to save the sick and lost and those embodied in sin. He came to save you and me. 

Even from the time of His birth, man has judged by appearance, wealth and prestige. But Jesus, He desired none of those things, nor did He demand them. 

"There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected-a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care." Isaiah 53:2-3

Jesus, one of extraordinary qualifications and qualities, came not in a manner of which to display them, but rather, He came in a way for all, plain and ordinary people to know Him. 

He is a realistic Savior, whose only desire is for us to know Him personally. No matter who we are, poor, average, or rich, Jesus makes Himself known to each of us. 

I love this about Him! I love that He desires to know me personally and for me to know Him personally. I love that He can be found in the lowliest and dirtiest of places. He does not require over the top gatherings, fancy churches or even worship bands to come and meet with us. 

Actually, if all of that was removed, it would expose and reveal the true hearts of many. Is Jesus enough for us today? 

Do you only attend social events that meet your standards or Churches with the best bands and people, or do you just have a heart to be with Jesus no matter where He is?

Today, we are making Him to be an unrealistic Savior. We are failing to remember what He did for us when we were in the mud and mire. He got His feet and hands dirty in order to remove and save us. 

Many times before I have asked, "If you were invited to come to an empty room with just you and your Bible, would you come?" And many have responded, "Yes!" Yet, where are they?

We have set these unrealistic expectations that the only way to draw people in, is by fancy decor, the best of foods, fancy clothes, and music that "feels good." 

Jesus didn't even do that, so why do we? Why do we have to have all the fluff, what happened to just being with Jesus and in His Word?

This season is more than a celebration, it is a reminder of what Jesus did and how He came. It is a reminder to each of us that He came to make a way for all people, and we should be going out and ministering to all people. Our homes and Churches and gatherings should be filled with people from all walks of life. We should have our Bibles open and be feasting on His Word and His truth rather than feasting on things of the world. 

Is Jesus enough for us today? If He asked us to go and sit in the mud and mire with others, would we? 

Are we doing things for the praise of man or for Him? Let us not become like the Priests in Jesus' day who looked down upon those less than them. Let us not become so caught up in the worldly things that we set a poor example to the lost. 

May we always be reminded of Jesus' entrance into the world and where He lay wrapped in cloth. Let us remember we are called to reflect Him and share who He is with others. 

If a lost and broken person, walked in dirty clothes would they walk away having heard the message of Jesus and hope and Salvation, or would they walk away feeling as though they aren't good enough?

Sometimes, in our attempts to gather with the finest of things, can only become a hindrance and distraction to those who are lost. Let's not set the example that Jesus is only found in the nicest and cleanest of places with the finest of people. Let's set the example that Christ set. 

When we fail to share the Word, may the only conviction come from failing to do so. 

"Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins! But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped, and we were healed! All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's path to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the guilt and sins of us all." Isaiah 53: 4-6